OLDER PEOPLE CARING FOR OLDER PEOPLE: A CHALLENGE TO THE ORGANIZATION OF HOME CARE

ABSTRACT

Objective

To identify the nursing care needs of individuals who live in their homes and are dependent on others for self-care, who cares for them, and how often.

Methods

Cross-sectional, observational, quantitative, descriptive study conducted in central Portugal. The sample consisted of 130 individuals dependent on others for self-care who were admitted to home care services by the Continuous Care Teams of a Cluster of Healthcare Centers in central Portugal between July 2019 and March 2020. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results

The majority of caregivers were women, spouses, over 75 years of age; 15.6% of caregivers were over 80 years of age. They were often unable to ensure the dependent person’s care needs.

Conclusion

The study points to the need to design professional care delivery strategies to reduce care omissions.

DESCRIPTORS
Nursing; Aged; Self-care; Home care; Caregiver, Family